Engineers profoundly shape many aspects of everyday life, from technology and society to resource security and environmental sustainability. The University of Oklahoma recognizes the importance of not only helping create engineers, but also laying a strong foundation of success for OU students through the Engineering Summer Bridge program.
The Engineering Summer Bridge program serves as the premier transition program for Gallogly College of Engineering and Mewbourne College of Earth and Energy students. Every summer, a cohort of 50 incoming first-year students will experience life on campus for four weeks as they stay in one of OU’s residential halls, Dunham College. This time serves as an opportunity to change the trajectory of many students' future at OU, as students will build relationships with peers and OU faculty and staff; complete engineering coursework for college credit; participate in team-building exercises; and familiarize yourself with campus before the fall semester begins.
“The Engineering Summer Bridge program centers around three pillars of support that serve as a guide for everything we do. The pillars of academic success, professional development, and community-building, allow our cohort to understand what it means to be an engineer or scientist and how to navigate their academic and professional journeys ahead,” said Brandon Abbott, Director of the Engineering Summer Bridge.
Since its inception in 2007, the Engineering Summer Bridge program has supported hundreds of engineers and touts a track record of proven success. Program alumni display higher first-year retention and graduation rates in comparison to students who do not participate. This is because the Engineering Summer Bridge Program allows students to build their engineering support network earlier, meaning they will finish the summer with a support system of professors, mentors, and classmates.
During the 2023 Summer Bridge program, students took an environmental swing to understand water and how it impacts both local and global communities in everyday life.
“Clearly, students understand water and its importance, but by taking a deeper look into how we source, purify, and utilize our water in Norman and within communities around the world, students’ mindsets were drastically changed,” said Abbott. “Students started by sampling water here on campus at the Duck Pond and began interrogating what containments were present; then, students were introduced to conventional treatment processes used to process and purify the water, both locally and globally.”
The 2024 program will run from July 6 to August 2. The application opens December 1. In the mean time, learn more about the program by visiting the Summer Bridge Program webpage.
"The Engineering Summer Bridge program helped me immensely in making connections. Over the summer, I developed meaningful friendships with my peers. This made the transition to college so much easier as I entered my first semester at OU with a support system. My friends and I were able to bond outside of our work, like during weekend outings to Oklahoma City and morning workouts on campus."
“Summer Bridge gave me a head start when fall semester began. My transition from high schooler to full-time college student was made easier, both socially and academically. You live on campus during the program, so I learned the layout of campus, met with mentors and future professors, and most importantly, made friends—all of this before classes officially started."
"I was challenged academically during my time at Summer Bridge, and I loved it because it gave me the opportunity to explore outside of my comfort zone. I made friends, built my network, and prepared for college. It changed the trajectory of my college experience for the better, and now as an upperclassman at OU, I became an Engineering Summer Bridge program counselor to help new campers have a memorable, positive introduction to STEM at OU."
